Plantation Bay just launched Philippine Voyager, a 7-course tasting menu that takes the diner on an exciting culinary journey around the country. Executive Chef Lee Ramas has carefully crafted each signature dish to raise pride in Filipino cuisine, as part of the hotel’s thrust to celebrate Filipino culture through a new dining experience.
THE MENU
PHILIPPINE VOYAGER
MANNY’S CEVICHE
A kind of kinilaw of thin-sliced Lapu-lapu sashimi, native herbed vinegar, chilis, and a hint of tropical fruit that is served on half shells. Better eaten without using any fork! Just bring the shells to your mouth and suck in the delectable party of flavors: sour, spicy, salty, and umami.
Several visitors from the US and Latin America have already declared it’s the best version of ceviche they’ve ever had!
ADOBO TOAST AND OLD-FASHIONED ARROZ CALDO
Adobo with a twist! Slow-cooked chicken and pork is minced and served on deep-fried home-made bread. The combination is uniquely satisfying with the crunchy texture of the toast and the tender meat filled with so much flavor. A perfect way to enjoy this finger food is simply to pick up the mini-squares and pop them into your mouth!
To complement the flavorful Adobo, Plantation Bay serves a small cup of Old-Fashioned Arroz Caldo, made with raw rice grains, reduced chicken broth, and seasonings. It is one comfort meal that surely warms one tummy feeling full to the brim.
FRESH PALM-HEART LUMPIA TACO
Filipinos’ favorite Fresh Lumpia is all garbed in a rather different wrap! Instead of a delicate lumpia wrapper, it comes in a cone-shaped taco best enjoyed with your hand until the last bite. What sets this dish apart from other fresh lumpia is its Cebu-style garlicky cream sauce which gives a distinct taste to the lumpia taco.
KARE-KARE BEEF SHANK WITH XO SAUCE x PANSIT MALABON
The savory Kare-Kare made with beef shank and home-made XO sauce is served pre-piled on three ceramic spoons. Instead of using the old-fashioned, bagoong, Plantation Bay opted to make the XO sauce from scratch. However, you can order the Kare-Kare with bagoong ala carte.
Kare-Kare is added to the menu because Plantation Bay’s Resident Shareholder Manny Gonzalez wants to promote it as the Philippine National Dish. “It is one of the most distinctive beef dishes in the world; in all my travels, I’ve never encountered anything even similar; yet it is a treat to almost every palate. Like Adobo, it is widely popular, but it has no pork and hence does not offend a large segment of our population. Beef shank is more reliable and more forgiving to less-skilled cooks than oxtail, so almost anyone can make it, with less effort than the traditional recipe,” explained Gonzalez. And having a National Dish is one way to raise pride in our cultural identity.
The stir-fried noodle dish originated in Malabon City, Metro Manila, is flavored with seafood-and-pork broth topped with chicharon flakes and its famous yellow sauce. And serving it in a martini glass makes the Pansit Malabon look so appetizing!
THE PERFECT FINISH: HALO-HALO SUNDAE
What better way to end your meal than finish it with something really sweet and typically Pinoy! Plantation Bay whips up their latest creation, the no-shaved ice Halo-Halo. They use an extra creamy home-made langka (jackfruit) ice cream then top it off with candied jellies, fruit preserves, and dry crunch which makes it extra special and unmistakably Filipino.
As a whole, Plantation Bay’s seven-course Philippine Voyager celebrates good Filipino cooking while keeping the food soul-satisfying and meaningful to a broad audience. It combines diverse cultural influences infused to the traditional favorites with a little twist in every course.
Now that’s one dining experience that’s worth relishing because each bite gives you a taste of the tropics right in the heart of Plantation Bay Resort and Spa.
Plantation Bay Resort and Spa’s 7-course dinner ‘Philippine Voyager’ is available on Thursdays & Fridays at their Palermo Cafe & Bar for only Php1,200 nett. For reservations or inquiries, call (032) 505 9800 or visit their Facebook page @plantationbayresortandspa.
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